Ontario Puts its Foot Down on Street Racing, Threatens to Crush Street Racing Cars Before They Hit t

Looks like becoming another The Fast and theApparently technology has been a great help for
Furious wannabe would now entail more than justracers, as they use the Internet and text
guts and skill.messaging to quickly call races and locations,
In Canada, where trucker David Virgoe met hismaking it difficult for police to stake out races.
tragic death on Highway 400 after an accident"What I would say to anybody who is engaging in
allegedly caused by street racing, officials arethe illegal act of street racing is we don't need to
putting down their foot and are now intent onwait until that car hits the road fully loaded.
getting tough on street racers."The damage that these vehicles can cause can
Likening speed shops that make street racers tosometimes be catastrophic," Bryant said in his
bomb factories or illegal drug labs, Attorneymessage at Queen’s Park, referring to
General Michael Bryant warns "juiced-up" carsVirgoe's death.
could be seized and destroyed before even hittingWhile Bryant declined to discuss details of Virgoe's
the road.death or the three men charged in it, he noted
"Just on the balance of probabilities if we can"Ontario Crown prosecutors are using the brand
establish that a car is being used for the unlawfulnew street racing crime provisions under the
purpose of street racing, we will seize it and youCriminal Code for these offences.
will never see it again. "We will crush your car, we"We have in Ontario generally the ability to seize
will crush the parts."street racing cars," he said.
York Regional Police Chief Armand La BargeAbout Street Racing Street racing is a form of
welcomed Bryant's get-tough words saying thatunsanctioned and illegal auto racing which takes
since 1999, 39 people have been killed in theplace on public roads. Street racing can either be
Greater Toronto Area because of illegal roadspontaneous or well-planned and coordinated.
racing. "We welcome any proposed new legislationSpontaneous races usually occur at intersections
to make it easier to do that (seize vehicles inwhere two cars stop at a red light before they
road racing). That's the type of strong messagebegin racing. Well coordinated races, in comparison,
that needs to go out," he said.are chosen before the race night and often have
La Barge added that he would like to see thea people communicating via 2-way radio/citizens'
courts send a tougher message to peopleband radio and using police scanners and GPS units
charged with racing. According to La Barge, histo mark locations of local police hot spots.
officers have laid some 550 racing charges overBecause vehicles used in street racing
the past six weeks, but that many drivers expectcompetitions more often than not lack
to be treated lightly by the courts. Police try toprofessional racing safety equipment such as roll
educate road racers, sometimes it turns out tocages and fuel cells and drivers seldom wear
be an exercise in futility, he said.firesuits and are not trained in high-performance
Sgt. David Mitchell, a York Region traffic officer,driving, injuries and fatalities are common results
said road racers range from teenagers drivingfrom accidents. Illegal street racers also put
their parents' cars to adults who have spentordinary drivers at risk because they race on
hundreds of thousands of dollars modifying cars.public roads rather than closed-course,
Some have been so overhauled they would bepurpose-built facilities. More recently the rise of
unfit for a motor speedway, he said.chop shops which sell anything and everything
Charged drivers, said Mitchell, often choose tofrom engine parts to Honda distributor cap has
take their chances with the court because theybeen associated with street racing.
believe "not much is going to happen there."